A valve, in particular a solenoid valve, is a technical structural part used to control or regulate a mass flow of a gas or a liquid. A solenoid valve contains an electromagnet which can be activated by switching a switch on or off.
An aircraft contains a large number of hydraulic lines of one or more hydraulic circuits. Hydraulic lines of this type can be used to actuate control surfaces, in particular flyer plates, for example. A hydraulic fluid is transported in the hydraulic lines, the flow of the hydraulic fluid being controlled or regulated by means of valves.
In addition to the hydraulic circuits, an aircraft also contains water circuits in order to supply the passengers, in particular the passenger toilets, with water, for example. These water circuits are also controlled or regulated by means of switching valves.
In addition to these low-flammability fluids, that is to say hydraulic oil and water, an aircraft, in particular an aeroplane, carries a large amount of high-flammability fuel, in particular kerosine, in order to operate the engines and to generate sufficient thrust.
A large part of this high-flammability fuel is located in the central region of the fuselage and in particular also in the wings of an aeroplane. For actuating control surfaces, hydraulic lines, in particular, therefore extend in local proximity to fuel tanks and fuel lines.
Conventional solenoid valves used in aeroplanes switch an armature element from a first switching position to a second switching position by means of at least one magnetic coil. After switching-over, the armature element is conventionally held mechanically by means of a spring mechanism or in another manner. Alternatively, after the excitation of the magnetic coil has been switched off, the armature element is moved back in a spring-loaded manner to the starting position or starting stance again.
However, these conventional solenoid valves have the drawback that they are, on account of the structural parts necessary for the mechanical interlocking and owing to this mechanical wear, relatively fault-prone or display low reliability. In addition, the mechanical structural parts used for the mechanical interlocking greatly limit the extent to which it is possible to miniaturise the solenoid valve.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a controllable valve for a fluid within an aircraft that is distinguished by high reliability and a long lifetime and at the same time minimises the risk of ignition of fuel of the aircraft.